Pants or like hanger



C. A. HARTLEY PANTS OR LIKE HANGER March 1, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed. July 19, 1956 FIQI INVENTOR. Union A- Hort 2 BY March 1, 1960 Filed July 19, 1956 C. A. HARTLEY PANTS OR LIKE HANGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Oag'ton A. Ha'rfley tating upward insertion of the United States Patent PANTS OR LIKE HANGER Clayton A. Hartley, Barber-ton, Ohio Application July 19, 1956, Serial No. 598,826 4 Claims. (Cl. 211-124) is invention relates to clothes hangers, and in particular relatesto pants hangers."

One object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which is adapted to grip pants by the cuffs over a substantial proportion of the widthsthereof with uniform gripping action.

Another object of the invention is to provide adevice of the character described which is easily afiixed on conventional garment supporting rods in clothes closets.

These and other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a pants hanger aflixed on a conventional garment supporting rod.

Figure 2 is a cross-section line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a framentary view similar to a right-hand end portion of Figure 1, illustrating a modified form of the invention.

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical cross-section takensubstantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, there is illustrated a pants hanger including a plurality of pants gripping members 11, 11 supported in laterally spaced relation on a rod 12, in turn supported on a clothes hanger bar B, of conventional type used in clothes closets, by spaced attaching holders 13, 13.

Each member 11 may have a head portion 14 of substantial thickness, provided with a central aperture 15, through which the rod 12 is slidably received. Depending from head 14 may be relatively stiff, but yieldingly separable, inwardly convergent, bifurcations 16, 16, which terminate in downwardly presented, straight edge portions 17, 17 of total transverse width adapted to embrace a major proportion of pants cuffs 18 gripped between the bifurcations, as shown. The bifurcations may have central cut-out portions 19, 19 adapted to receive the usual relatively thicker portions of the cuffs, caused by superposed layers of seamed POI ions on the cuffs. For facilithe paired bifurcations, thickened lower portions 20 thereof may be oppositely inwardly; rounded, as shown at 21, 21 in Figure 1. Inner surfaces of the bifurcations may be roughened, as indicated at 22, 22 to improve the grip of the same. The members 11 may be segmental or made in one piece. of suitable material, provided that the bifurcations 16 have the resilient qualities described.

The members 11 and attaching holders 13 may be held in suitably spaced relation as by means of tubular sleeves or spacers 24, 24 received on the rod 12. Each attaching holders 13 may comprise a pair of suitably shaped plates 13a and 13b embracing opposite portions of the rod 12, and clamped thereto, as by means of oppositely engaging nuts 25 and 26 threaded on spaced ends of a U-bolt 27 engaged over the clothes hanger bar B. The U-bolt is adjustable, by means of nuts 25 and 26, to back the upper edges 28 of the members 11 solidly against the underside of the bar B.

taken substantially on the cuffs 18 of pants P between with the lower portion of the rod 2,926,791 Patented Mar. 1, 1960 The improved pants hanger 10 is adapted to be sold either in assembled or knocked-down form. In either case it may be easily mounted on clothes hanger bar B of the conventional type shown, to have the bifurcations 16 depending from the rod 12, and the upper ends 28 of the members backed by the bar B. In use of the assembled pants hanger 10, pants P may be quickly supported on a hanger member 11 by engaging the superposed cuffs 18 thereof upwardly between the respective pair of bifurcations 16, 16, against the inherent resiliency of the material thereof, thereby to be uniformly firmly gripped and supported thereby with the pants in dependent relation. Conversely the pants are quickly removable from the respective hanger member 11, by a downward tug on the superposed leg portions of the pants. The arrange ment is such that a substantial number of pants may be conveniently supported in a relatively small space in the usual clothes closet.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate a modified form of pants hanger member 30, which is substantially like the members 11 of Figures 1 and 2, except that it is fabricated from two oppositely disposed blanks 31, 31 of springy sheet metal riveted or otherwise attached to a spacer plate 32 in the head portion 33 of the hanger. Yieldingly separable bifurcations 34, 34 have central cut-out portions 35 corresponding to the cut-outs 19 of Figures 1 and 2. Material from the cut-out portions 35 of one bifurcation 34 may be upturned to form a hook 36, for yielding reception of a curved coat hanger element 37.

For supporting a plurality of hanger members 30 as before, a modified type of attaching holder 39 is shown. Holder 39 may be molded or otherwise formed of semihard elastic material, such as vinyl plastic, rubber, or the like, to have inwardly arcuate portions 40, 40 adapted yieldingly to embrace the clothes hanger bar B, and similar oppositely inwardly arcuate portions 41, 41 at the opposite end of the element, adapted yieldingly to embrace the rod 12.

The spaced free ends 42, 42 of the arcuate portions or jaws 40 may be chamfered at 43, 43 to facilitate installation of the member on supporting rod B, the space be tween said free ends being otherwise proportioned to provide maximum supporting engagement with the top portion of rod B. The opposite end of holder 39 is similarly constructed to provide maximum supporting engagement 12. These attaching holders 39 make it possible to mount the pants hanger device on rod B Without use of screws, bolts, or the like, and the resiliently flexible arcuate portions or jaws are self-adjusting to grip rods of varying diameters.

The form of the invention described in connection with Figures 3 and 4 is otherwise adapted to be used substantially in the manner and for the purposes previously described, like parts, therefore, being given like identifying numbers.

It is contemplated that either type of attaching holder 13 or 39 may be utilized in either form of the two forms of pants hanger shown.

Other modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A pants or like article hanger as for attachment to a fixed horizontal bar in a clothes closet, comprising a member having a head portion and normally closely spaced but yieldingly separable bifurcations extending freely therefrom and terminating in relatively wide ends adapted yieldingly to grip pants cuffs or thelike tosubstantial extent widthwise thereof by the inherent tendency of the bifurcations to return to said normally closely spaced relation, a rigid supporting element aflixed to said head for supporting the member with said bifurcations depending therefrom, and attaching holder means on said element having thereon adjustable means extending above said head, said adjustable means being operable to aflix said member against vertical movement with respect to the barpwherebythe articleis en gageable upwardly between said bifurcations against the backing support of the bar.

2. A pants or like articlehanger asffor attachment to a fixed horizontal bar in a clothes closet, comprising a plurality of members, each haying a head portion and normally closely spaced but yieldingl-y separable bifurca tions extending freely therefrorn and terminating inirelatively wide endsadaptedyieldingly to grip pants cufl's or the like to substantial extent widthwis'e thereof by theinherent tendency of the bifurcations to return-to said nor mally closely spaced relation, and a -rigid elongated element affixed tosaid he'ad portions for supporting each member in longit' dinally spaced relation thereon with said bifurcations depending therefrom, spaced holders-supportingly attached tosaid rigid element and -including adjustable means t afEX hoIders on said bar and-thereby to prevent Vertical movement of the member with respect to the bar, whereby the article is yieldingly engageable upwardly between said bifurcations against the backing support of the bar.

3. A pants or like hanger as set forth in claim 1, said holder's each'inc'luding a clamp rigidly afiixed to said element and adjustable on said bar to draw said heads of said members against the lower portions of the bar.

4. A pants or like hanger as set forth in claim 1, said holders each including a body of resilient material having oppositely disposed pairs of clamping jaws adapted yieldingly to embrace said element and said bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Standish a-'-.--- Aug. 18, 1891 Wallace -L Aug. 8, 1916 Arnold Mar. 10, 1925 Basterreix Feb. 12, 1929 liarila namn u, "Feb. 19,1946 Johns n l. ....-Sept. 24, 119461 1 llh1- .i. ....VOC t. I8, 1949 Pa in v 'Feb.' 6, 1951 fli'eaeock Jan 27, 1 9531 SherraId Mar. 29, 1 955 Bitz 'et al. Apr. 5, 1955 Tormo Ian. 31, 1956 aw w- 

